HIGHLIGHTS

In VVPATs a slip of paper shows the party symbol of the candidate selected.

EVM

HIGHLIGHTS

EC said it will hold all future elections with EVMs with VVPAT.

In VVPATs a slip of paper shows the party symbol of the candidate selected.

Stop crying foul after you ran away from the EVM challenge - this is what the Election Commission tersely told political parties which have questioned the reliability of the voting machines. In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court - which is hearing complaints by Congress and BSP regarding functioning of EVMs - the poll panel said it had invited all parties to prove that the voting machines can be tampered with, but no one turned up.

Only the NCP and CPI (M) came forward, but they too backed out at the last minute. "On June 3, 2017, the ECI conducted the EVM challenge wherein only two parties NCP and CPIM submitted their interest in participating in the EVM challenge. However, on the day of the challenge, they said they only want to understand the process. Thus no political party was able to demonstrate how EVMs could be tampered with," said the affidavit filed by Malay Mallik, Secretary at the Election Commission.

The commission said it will hold all future elections mandatorily with Electronic Voting Machines attached to Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail machines (EVMs with VVPAT). BSP had alleged large scale tampering of EVMs during the recent round of Assembly elections and sought immediate introduction of a paper trail with every EVM voting to ensure there is no tampering with the machine.

The VVPATs are electronic voting machines in which, when a button is pressed to choose a candidate on a voting machine, a slip of paper shows the party symbol of the candidate selected. The receipt is visible to the voter for a few seconds before it drops into a sealed box.

The voter can satisfy himself that his choice has been correctly recorded in an EVM. In case the results of an election are questioned, as happened after the assembly elections were held in five states earlier this year, the VVPAT slips can be used to double check on the announced results. Not only the BSP but also parties like Congress and AAP have complained about it. Kejriwal and Congress leader Ajay Maken had also sought use of ballot paper instead of EVMs in the just concluded MCD polls, which the BJP swept.

The court was also hearing a petition by one Reshma Vithalbhai Patel from Gujarat to direct the EC to use EVMs with VVPAT facility in the Gujarat Assembly elections scheduled for later this year The EC said the requirement was at least 70,000 EVMs with VVPATs and if the machines are supplied on time, they could be used. "Election Commission currently has 53,000 VVPAT units in its possession and the number of VVPAT units required for conducting elections to the Gujarat Assembly is 70,000 units.

The election commission expects to receive the delivery of 48,000 VVPATs units from BEL and ECIL by August 31, 2017 and another 25,000 in September. If the said consignment is delivered in time, the EC expects to be able to conduct the elections to the assembly with the use of VVPATs. Further funds will also be required for its storage, maintenance and security," the affidavit said.